Burned (ON HOLD)
by mortal-twilight
Summary: Two children have a mysterious ability that has their village suspicious of witchcraft... After visits from men with strange colored eyes and many more tragic deaths, the unthinkable happens. JULIANA AND ALTON ARE TO BE BURNED AT THE STAKE ACCUSED OF WITCHCRAFT. What will happen? Who will help them? And what if we don't know these witch twins by their given names...
1. Young

7 year old Juliana sits across from her brother, Alton, in the shade of a tree- although it was very cloudy that day- in the yard playing a game they had made up using the sticks and stones found in the forest nearby. Weeks prior, their village had had yet another tragic death of a child- Ainsley, had been her name- the villagers mourned for the loss of a citizen and had given the young girl an extravagant ceremony. Not for the family, no, as a warning. You must understand that this English village was quite superstitious and believed the child had died from a curse. Although no one had actually spoken this aloud, many were suspicious of these twins. Of these men, only one had ever approached Juliana and Alton. It had been after the ceremony, Juliana remembers. She had been about to go back home with her brother when he stopped her. _I travel the world,_ he had explained when she hadn't recognized him as one of the citizens of her village, _I saw how that girl treated you earlier this week. She deserved to feel your pain._ Juliana had never seen this man before, so how had he known what happened? She would have remembered his face, it was perfect, with flawless features and terrifying blood-red eyes. She had thought back to that day, when she had been trying to buy some fabrics from Ainsley's mother's shop. Ainsley had refused to let her mother sell her cloth, calling her a monster, just because she was a twin. It was uncommon in her world to be such a thing. Juliana had stood her ground, she needed this fabric for clothes. Finally, she had fled because Ainsley had accused her and her sibling of being _witch twins_. No one had been in the shop at the time, she could have sworn. But yet, this nomad knew exactly what had happened. Maybe _he_ was the cause for Ainsley's death. Either way, the man had left after that without another word.

Now, as the twins played their fantasy game, a man in long, black robes approached them. He had hair as black as his cloak, and the same ruby tint in his eyes as the traveling nomad. The twins looked at his features, curious. He smiled.

"Hello, young ones. How are you feeling today?" His voice, Juliana thought, was like a fond but scolding grandfather. Alton looked to his sister to see how she would respond, for he never made a decision without his sister's approval. Juliana, taken a bit aback by his informality, lifted her chin and glared.

"We are having a fine day, thank you," she responds, if not a bit suspicious. Alton nods in agreement. The man smiles at them and extends his hand.

"May I ask for a name?" He asked very sweetly.

Alton scowls at his forwardness. He looks directly into his terrifying eyes and states, "no." The man seems surprised for a moment, but before Juliana could be sure, his face is blank of emotion. He drops his hand and sighs.

"Well, I suppose if you are not to show any hospitality, I will find another place to stay for the week," He lifts a hand in a parting wave and walks toward the home of one of the more unpopular women of the village. Juliana narrows her eyes. _That man,_ she thought, _is not human._

 **…**

One week later, Alton is tending to the family's livestock when a boy about his age approaches him. Avery, he believes is his name. He was the heir to one of the more wealthy family fortunes and always seemed to get what he wanted. Alton had heard his father, a Frankish soldier, talking about how Avery's livestock had become weak over the winter months and weren't going to sell for very much. Avery flashed a charming smile to Alton.

"Your livestock seem to be doing quite well this year," he says following Alton's steps as he took care of the grazing animals, "Perhaps, you could lend me an animal or two, since you don't need them all." Alton is silent. Today was a nice day for the village, with the cloudless blue sky touching the dark green treetops. Of course looking below the trees anyone on Alton's property could have sworn that a man's silhouette flitted beneath the trees...

"Well?" Avery repeats. Alton looks up from his chore, forgetting that the boy was even there.

"Why on earth would you need my livestock?" Alton asks, knowing full well the answer already, "Your family is quite wealthy. You must have plenty of livestock far better off than mine." The corners around Avery's smile tighten.

"Please, don't flatter yourself! Your sheep and cows are the healthiest in the village!" Avery's voice begins to sound strained, and Alton begins to calculate the outcomes of his situation. His family's fortune could quite possibly depend on a bad livestock year. So if he gave him the livestock, Avery's family could escape near-poverty and Alton may get some of the credit. He was about to let Avery take one of his best sheep when he remembered what Juliana had said about the boy after they had found out about his livestock.

 _"He had threatened to have us thrown out of the village if I didn't agree to an arranged marriage! Thank God Almighty that the tailor happened to be walking by and got me out of the trouble! He deserves the shortage in his livestock!"_ Then, after thinking it through as thoroughly and quickly as possible, he told Avery, "My apologies, Avery, but I cannot. You see, my family needs the good livestock this year for it has been years since our family has had this successful livestock and we need the resources." Avery, to Alton's surprise, does not show any sign of anger or frustration, but says a quiet goodbye and goes on his way.

The next morning, Juliana woke up later than she normally does. It had always been her job to tend to the livestock in the mornings at the break of dawn. Now, the sun had already risen and she could hear her neighbors beginning their day. She sits up in her uncomfortable bed and quietly rises to her feet, as to not wake her family in the same room. Usually, the baying of the sheep rising from their sleep awoke her from her light slumber. But today, there was no sound coming from their pen. She slipped on her clothing and shoes and stepped outside and walked towards the livestock. Then she noticed why she had heard nothing this morning. She screamed, causing her neighbors to look up in shock. A few of the men grumble about how the entire family is crazy but soon they follow her line of vision to see a horrific- yet not uncommon- sight. The soil inside the pen, which at a distance only seemed muddy, Juliana could now see was swimming with blood. The livestock, all of them, beheaded or lying startlingly still. Tears filled her eyes. She _knew_ that predators could not get in the pen. She had seen a wolf once, biting at the wood, until she had chased it away. _Who_ would have done such a thing as sabotage another's resources? After letting out a choked sob, she ran into her home and woke her family.

"Come _quick,_ Come very quick! The livestock, they're all dead!" Juliana cried as she ran into the room.

"Dead?" Alton asked. He had just been tending to them yesterday, they were perfectly healthy. Juliana nodded.

"Oh, it's just terrible! They're all slaughtered! Someone _murdered_ them! Why would you even think of hurting another living creature? I can't even kill an insect in the garden!" She looks at the opposite wall of the room, horrified. Alton looks over to their parents, who are sitting quietly and listening to the conversation. Juliana looked to Alton, terrified and in need of advice. Worst case scenarios swam through her head, ranging from fantasy theories of a wolf-man attacking the herd to someone sending them a warning that their family was next. Alton walks over to his twin, trying to console her.

"They were killed by a person, you say?" He asked softly. Juliana nodded.

"No carnivorous animal can get through those gates. It has to have been a neighbor," she shook her head, "who would do such a thing? _Thou shalt not covet._ " That's when the pieces click in place. Alton knows exactly who was behind this chaos. He was speechless. Yesterday, he had declined to give _Avery_ livestock so he killed their animals! Alton jumped up, causing Juliana took look up in concern.

"I will be right back. Stay with mother and father," he said quickly and walks out the door. Juliana watched him go, wondering if there really was an animal murderer in their village. Finally, she turns to see her parents still in a quiet discussion. It sounded like they were debating something, but Juliana couldn't figure out what.

"I'm sorry we lost this year's livestock," she murmured. Her parents jump, as if they had forgotten she was there. Her mother smiles a very fake smile.

"There is nothing to apologize about. You wouldn't kill our family's only resource, would you?" It was sounded very strange the way her mother said it, as if she _had_ killed the livestock and was trying to cover up her footsteps. But Juliana only nodded. It was best to satisfy her parents and be wanted, she'd decided a few years ago. Her mother just kept that fake smile on her face, telling her a few reassuring words now and again. Her father never once looked at her, but instead stared blankly at the wall behind her. Her father had never been very good at lying. So the fact that he was not speaking consoling words to her too made her realize that maybe things were going to be far worse from now on.

 **…**

Alton walked briskly across the lawn to Avery's home. He knew he couldn't accuse him right away, Avery must have known what he was doing and expects that to happen. Instead, Alton walks up to where Avery's mother is tending to their small garden. She smiles as he approaches her.

"Hello there, young man. Is there a problem?" Alton nodded slightly.

"I was speaking with your son the other day about my family's livestock and I was wondering if he could talk to me about an offer." The woman looked confused. Apparently, she hadn't known about the visit her son had made to meet him. Eventually, she nods.

"I will see him to you," she mumbles and walked inside. Alton had no idea what he is going to say to this boy. Avery has obviously done it, but he will never admit it to anyone. After a few moments of pondering, the woman comes back outside followed by Avery. He smiles knowingly.

"Please, come with me. I need to get some firewood to cook our meal tonight from the woods," Avery says, gesturing for Alton to go ahead of him.

When they reach the edge of the woods, Avery speaks up.

"Took you long enough to get over here. Did it really take that long for you to come here complaining about your precious livestock?" Avery scowled at Alton, "but now we're both going to have no money this year." Alton turned around to look at Avery, shocked that he had just admitted to killing his family's only source of income. Avery barks out a laugh at Alton's expression and out of the corner of his eye, Alton swore that he saw something move...

"You're so shocked! Did you suspect someone else?" Avery's voice is sharp and sarcastic. Alton scowled.

"No, of course not. The fact that you just admitted to committing a crime and going against God's good will is shocking!" He snapped, "I can't believe you would do this to another family." Avery snorted.

"And why not? Your family was soon going to be wealthier than mine. We cannot have that, now can we?" Avery stared coldly at Alton.

"Now, how about a bargain?" he said. Alton narrows his eyes suspiciously.

"With what? You killed off all of my animals, so what else can I give?" Avery shrugged.

"Well, you do know that I was the one to kill your animals, and I have an influential family so let me propose this; If you leave the forest today and tell the entire village that I was the one to kill your livestock, I will tell the village _my_ side of the story," Avery smirked. Alton tilted his head to the side.

"And your side is...?"

"That you cursed me after I had asked you for some of your sheep, and you had made me kill those _poor animals_ ," he paused for effect, "so that I would take the blame and not you and your evil twin." He took a small bow, as if he had told the greatest proposal in history. Alton looked over Avery's shoulder, towards his home. He had to agree to this blackmail. There was no other way to keep the family status in his village. He stared at Avery, who was smiling smugly.

"I'll accept the offer," Alton said, defeated. Avery turns around and starts walking back to the center of the village.

"Wonderful! Until fate brings us together again, goodbye." Avery speaks to Alton without turning around once and continues on his way.

Once Avery is almost out of sight and Alton is standing immobilized in his spot near the brush, the man who had been lurking in the shadows nearby, smiled. He had heard the entire conversation, of course, and did not like to see a _poor, poor_ child being cheated like this. _Why not just change him now?_ The man thought, _he can have his revenge after the transformation._ he shook his head, clearing himself of the tempting thoughts. He remembers the laws he had passed and what children are like after transforming, and with the boy and his sister having such promising gifts, it would be much too dangerous. He knew he had to wait, and he knew he could not be hasty. _I suppose I'll take the matters of the animal killer into my own hands..._ He thinks as he wipes some of the drying blood from his most recent meal from his jacket as he begins to formulate a second murder in the village...


	2. Religion

"There are demons walking among us at this very moment!" The man at the front of the group screamed. Cecil, was his name. And from Alton's little education, he found it very ironic his name had once meant 'descendant of the dark one.' He had mentioned it at one of their family meals once, only to be harshly scolded and beaten for using education against a man of God. Although he hated the memory, he remembered how Juliana had thrown a fit and threatened to bring shame to their family for what they had done to him. She had joined him a few moments later, her fingers bloody. They had lain on their makeshift beds the entire day, that day. Scowling at the roof of their hut but never speaking to one another. Just absorbing the other's presence.

Alton was quickly pulled out of his reverie when his father joined his side. They were standing on the outskirt of the forest, listening to Cecil scream about the witches that were soon to be accused and burned at the stake. The entire village was there, but strangely, no one but Juliana and their father stood within a ten foot radius of the young boy. Strange things were happening to the twins, even their parents didn't quite trust them anymore. More deaths were occurring in their villages, and many had also struck rich suddenly. Just last month one of the only women willing to help give Alton and Juliana an education was courted by a handsome and wealthy man. Soon after, they were to be married.

"Do you understand what he is saying?" His father asked, almost in an accusing tone. Alton nodded in agreement, not using any verbal communication. Juliana, on the other hand, glared at her father.

"Of course we understand! We know of God's laws and we obey them just as much-" Alton caught Juliana's arm, a sign for her to stop. She huffed and with one last scowl at her father, she turned to listen to the sermon. Alton's father gave a disapproving look at the girl's back before turning back to Alton.

"Do you understand?" He asked again. Alton pursed his lips and nodded again.

"Of course I do. To sit with God after our death we must follow him in every way possible." He said quietly. He didn't have the short temper his sister had, but he often wished he had her edge. Many saw him as calm and collected, while his sister was seen as fiery and bitter. He had heard his mother arguing with Juliana about controlling her temper, or she'll never marry. Juliana soon after confided to him she never wanted to marry, anyway. She just wanted them to stay together. Alton had been touched, but he knew that it would only bring more misfortune to his sister and him if she grew old without a husband. Alton turned his attention to the front as he heard a high pitched shriek from a woman pushing against two men, trying to reach a girl a few years older than himself.

"That's- that is my daughter! She is a faithful servant of God! She never conversed with the Devil-"

"Shut up, why don't you? There is enough proof from our leader's word after he spoke to her! She is being possessed by Satan himself at this very moment and we have to burn the spirit out of her!" one of the broad men gripping her arm snarled. The woman gave out a wail and sank to her knees, begging to let her through to talk to her daughter. Alton felt pity for the woman and the girl, they looked frightened enough by the situation. He turned to see how Juliana was doing, as she never willingly attended the accusations of the Devil's touch, but she was not there. He spun around, looking to see where his twin had gone.

" _HOW DARE YOU!_ " a voice screamed at the two men, " _A WOMAN WISHES TO SEE HER KIN AND YOU DENY HER OF IT? BECAUSE SHE HAS DONE SOMETHING WRONG? WHAT IF IT WAS YOUR SON UP THERE? WOULDN'T YOU WISH TO SPEAK TO HIM? YOU NO GOOD-_ "

Alton made a move to step forward and stop Juliana's rant then sighed. There wasn't anything he could do to stop her now. She was doing what she thought was right, and Alton didn't think it was a good idea to take that liberty away from her. Looking over to see his father's pained face, he sucked in a breath and watched the drama unfolding at the front of the crowd. The woman was shocked and a bit scared, it seemed. Now that Alton was really paying attention he realized that the men, too, were trying to keep a strong look in front of Juliana. He couldn't help but smile. _That's my sister,_ he thought.

 **…**

 _Mother must be really angry if she is refusing to speak to me,_ Juliana thought bitterly to herself as she attempted to avoid the glare of her parents. It was dark out now, and she could no longer use the excuse of being outside to avoid her parents. Her outburst had been the talk of the town for the rest of the day, it seemed. When storming home with her brother in tow, those few whom had left beforehand seemed to have already known something had happened and had been practically jumping out of the young girl's way. She had arrived home expecting her mother to throw a fit, telling her how she was bringing disgrace and hatred unto their family and perhaps whip Juliana's hand for good measure. Instead, she was met with cold, eerie stares and a back turned to her whenever she went to speak to her parents. Sighing, she laid down on her so-called mattress and closed her eyes. Maybe when she opened them again, she would realize this was all a horrible dream and she had a loving family that cared about her, friends that visit her when she is ill, and maybe even someone to court her.

If only that could happen.

She tried to fight the tears that began to sting at the back of her eyes, squeezing them shut. She just wanted a _normal_ life. One where she could be happy and carefree and never have to look back over her shoulder multiple times a day. If only she could save herself and Alton from this _terrible_ village. They could run away, become servants in a castle far from here. Even better, they could become the most valuable workers to a king, who could give them everything that their parents did not. It could be a new life.

"Juliana?" Her brother's voice called from what sounded like right outside the window. Snapping her eyes open, she sat up and looked through the carved hole she had made in the wood as a child.

"Alton? What are you doing outside? It's dark, come in here," she replied with a confused tone. The hole wasn't big enough for Juliana to see Alton clearly, but she could make out his familiar silhouette against the bit of moonlight that shone through the blanket of clouds overhead.

"I- can't," Alton said hesitantly, "I told mother that you were right to stand up for that woman today and that I was proud to have you as a sister," he sighed, he almost sounded ashamed. But before Juliana could ask Alton spoke again, "I then went to tell her that _she_ is the witch if she so thoroughly believes what you did was wrong."

Silence. Had Alton really said something like that, even after she ruined her reputation for good? A few quiet moments later and Juliana began to laugh.

"Hey! What's so funny? I stood up for you, you know!"

"No, no. It's not that it's just-" Juliana began to clutch her stomach from laughter, "I've never heard you actually talk back to someone before, and now I've missed it!"

Alton couldn't help but smile at this. He had always been curious, but he had learned to choose his words more carefully than his twin. Now, she was praising him for doing something so _out of character_ for him. As long as she's happy, Alton would feel more relaxed.

"So how does that explain why you're outside?"

"Oh. Well, since father overheard me say _that,_ he told me that I would have to do the patrols tonight with him. I just had to sneak past him for a few minutes so I could tell you what had happened and why I wouldn't be in bed tonight," he shrugged like it was no big deal, even though he knew it was. He had to work on the family's crops tomorrow at breaking dawn. With no sleep, Alton wouldn't be able to work more efficiently tomorrow, and he would most likely get punished for not taking care of the fields.

"Well, you can tell father that this is a ridiculous punishment and, if anything, I should be the one in trouble," Juliana stated with a pout. The night patrols had only started a few years ago, after villagers kept mysteriously disappearing only to show up again with their necks broken and blood drained. There had been few murders like these in the past year, yet the entire village insisted on having some of the former soldiers keep guard every night, "but have fun anyway."

Alton smiled faintly at Juliana's comment and told her goodbye. As she listened to his retreating footsteps, she laid back down and thought of her earlier fantasy. They could very well leave this village and never return. The people would rejoice that the witches had been banished while Alton and herself began with a clean slate. _No more accusations, no more fear._ Juliana thought about it hopefully. It was decided. As soon as she could get the chance, she would tell her brother the plan and they would escape.

Alton had to admit he was annoyed at this ridiculous punishment. The people despised him and his twin so why would they trust him to keep watch over a dumb village? Nevertheless, his father had been very upset when he had heard the cutting comment Alton had shot at his mother. His father, although a soldier who fought mercilessly, never seemed to have the temper his mother and sister had. When he had yelled at Alton for snapping at his elder, he couldn't think of a punishment except for having some help on the patrols. So here Alton was, bitter and resentful for the hand he had been dealt in this life, standing on the edge of the woods. He could see his father's figure in the distance, along with two other village veterans. Humming tunelessly to himself, Alton looked around at the dense green and sighed. _This is boring,_ Alton couldn't help but think. He had to spend the entire night standing around, waiting for nothing. He saw a rustle in the brush near his post and narrowed his eyes. While there hadn't been many of the mysterious murders recently, many wild animals had begun attacking the village once again looking for livestock. Raising the blunt weapon his father had given to him, he looked at the rustling defensively. He was about to take a step forward and investigate the source when he heard shouting. Looking up, he saw a huddle of men over where his father had been standing. Curious and concerned, Alton ran down to see what the commotion was. No one had heard him approach, so he stayed in the shadows and listened.

"-your children! They have been torturing our town and are fully aware of their actions!" Alton recognized the man yelling as the same one who had refused to let the woman see her daughter earlier that morning.

"I have told you, we are trying to discipline them into learning the way of God! They have sold their souls to the Devil at such a young age and we are trying to get them to repent!" He could recognize his father's voice shouting back. Alton felt a blow of shame at the statement. Is that what he really thought of his children? That they had decided to sell their souls to the Devil?

"We should just kill them! Stop this madness for continuing any further!" Another man in the group yelled at the twins' father.

"Our God would not want us to kill children! I will not stand-" Alton held back a gasp as he saw one of the strong men hit his father. He had seen petty fights between children before, but nothing like _this._ Alton could see his father's face in the moonlight now, he could see the blood dripping down from his nose. He staggered and for a moment, it looked like he was going to fight back. But he was slow, aged. Then the other men began to surround him, the sounds of fists hitting flesh ringing in Alton's ears. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. His parents had never seemed to love him and his sister, but his father was the only one who really kept the family together. Alton didn't want to see his father leave the Earth so soon. Running forward, Alton used his weapon to hit one of the men in the back of the neck. Hard. The man froze, and then turned to face Alton with a sneer.

"Well, well. Speak of the Devil and he appears," the man laughed before hitting him on the back of his head with his own weapon and knocking him out.

 **…**

Juliana woke up to shouts the next morning. The sun hadn't fully risen yet, and the sky was a pearl gray. She would feel comforted by this color usually, to have clothes in that color would be her dream, but today she saw it and felt something sinister and cold. Juliana felt Death. Getting out of her bed and pulling something over her sleepwear to cover her, Juliana raced out of the house to see where the upheaval was. Running toward a crowd on one of the corners of the village, Juliana pushed through the congregation to see her brother standing near the front of the circle, dried blood running down the side of his forehead.

"What's wrong? What's happened?" Juliana asked, panicked. Alton looked stricken. The twins turned in time to see their mother burst through the crowd and run toward the beaten body that lay not far ahead. Juliana hadn't seen the body at first, she had been too worried about what had happened to her brother. She looked to him now, wanting answers.

"It's father, sister. He was beaten to death last night."


	3. Chosen

The twins' mother did not move from her cot for three days. She sat, staring blankly at the thatched straw that was woven through their roof. She did not cook, she did not help the twins with chores, and she seemed to be staying awake all night as well.

Juliana did not understand why her mother was acting like this. Sure, her parents had been deeply in love when they had first had their children but as time passed they had seemed to grow apart. There was more tension because of their thoughts on raising _demonic_ children. Yet here she was, helping Alton to take care of their home and crops until their mother would snap out of her trance. It was different, being without their father. He had been the one to hold the family together, to keep them from killing each other or ruining the property. Juliana remembered as a young child being taught games by him, before the strange occurrences. Back when her parents loved her and her brother. She _missed_ him. She missed her mother too, wishing she would stop this bizarre act and get up and start scolding her for storing the herbs incorrectly. She wanted something to _happen._ She thought about her plan, to run away with Alton and find a better place to live. It seemed _stupid_ to leave her mother like this, no matter how much she treated Juliana wrong.

Sighing, she put down the straw she was threading into rope and stomped over to her mother.

"Get up, mother. You need to help with the chores today," Juliana said in a accusing tone. It was funny how she was acting like the mother today. When she received no response, she leaned over her body, blocking her mother's line of vision. Her mother's eyes snapped into focus and narrowed at her daughter.

"You will not be the one telling me what to do. Now, let me rest. I do not feel... well," her mother retorted. Juliana groaned. At least she had gotten a response this time. Alton had been trying for the past 48 hours to no avail. Picking up the rope she had been braiding, she thrust it on to her mother's lap.

"Threading the rope will not take much work and you can do it from bed," she stated, surprised at how strong she sounded against her mother, "I will go help Alton outside. If you need anything, we will be in the field. You can get up and call to us."

Her mother picked up the rope, fascinated by it. Juliana could see the wheels spinning in her head as she identified the object. Relieved to see her mother actually doing something, she stepped out the doorway of their hut and started towards her twin. She thought about how hard her mother had been thinking when looking at the straw, and it depressed her. Has she really gone that insane in the last three days to be enchanted by rope? It was a gray day, that day. It had been the same colored sky since she had woken up the day her father was murdered. No sunshine, but no rain either. Her brother and herself were going to be blamed for this weather. She was so lost in thought that she did not see the ragged-looking man step gracefully and unnaturally quickly into her path. Bumping into him, she backed up.

"I'm sorry sir. I did not see where I was going..." Juliana broke off when she made eye contact with the man. She recognized these irises. She had seen them before. The maroon color seemed to be staring right through her. It was eerie yet, Juliana didn't shiver. She wasn't afraid.

"Oh, no. My apologies I seemed to have not quite gotten your attention correctly," the man smiled, and it was not sincere. Juliana narrowed her eyes. Immediately she was could to tell she should not trust this man yet, she was intrigued.

"You sure did. What do you want? To get the honors of killing one of the village's witches? I'm telling you right now that if you even _think_ of something like that I will have you writhing in pain," Juliana replied with her usual resentment laced into her words. She couldn't really have him tortured, nor could she fight him off. She could only hope that he had the fear that the villagers had.

"It's a shame that your first thought when someone wants to get your attention is they want to hurt you," the man chuckled and took a step towards the girl, who evaded his presence and found herself facing the way she came. He turned to look at her again and grinned, "I promise that was not my intention. I just wanted to talk to you. To learn about you and your- gift."

Juliana felt no worry and instead found herself very annoyed. A strange visitor and from what she had collected, he only wanted to figure out her witch-like power! Biting her tongue to keep the fire she felt inside from appearing, she turned without a word and began marching toward the fields to help her brother. She had wasted enough time already.

"Now, that isn't the way to end a conversation, is it? Manners," the traveler was blocking her path in an instant, "I could be the one to save your life someday. I could be the one to show you what _dominance_ is."

Juliana bit down on her tongue so hard she began to feel the coppery tasting blood in her mouth. She was very tempted to lash out at him, but she was beginning to think better of it. She was remembering that day in the shop, how that evening she ran into a man with red irises...

Her head snapped up to look at the stranger's features again. That had been a few _years_ ago. Yet, he looked the same as he had when he had confronted her the first time. _This was the same stranger._ Comprehension must have dawned on her face because the man nodded his head as if knowing exactly what she had just figured out.

"I can show you what _immortality_ is like. You _and_ your brother could finally leave. You could join _me_ ," he held out his hand to shake, to seal this offer. Juliana stared at his paper white skin and contemplated what the consequences of this deal would be. He made it sound like so much in a small deal, Juliana felt like she was selling her _soul._ She would become a true damned creature if she agreed to this, she realized. What if this power he was promising was a lie? The village would surely attack her if she agreed, she knew it.

"I have a field of crops to take care of and while supernatural help would be useful, I'm going to decline. Who knows what's in it for you," she replied coolly. With that, she walked off towards the crops and her twin, eager to tell her brother of the strange encounter.

 **...**

Alton was surprised that his twin hadn't lost her temper when talking to the strange man. With the way that she spoke about him, she used hateful and terrifying words but her voice was interwoven with fascination.

"So what are you going to do?"

"What?"

"What are you going to do, Juliana? Either you are going to report that an evil creature tried to make a deal with you or you're risking the chance that someone saw you and they'll burn you like all the others," Alton explained in a low voice. There were a few other citizens nearby and he couldn't endanger his sister's well-being.

"I hadn't thought I would have to tell anybody. Besides, no one saw me," his twin replied with confidence. His eyes narrowed. He didn't believe she had been walking down one of the paths of the village to be interrupted by a stranger, and no one saw her.

"How do you know that, sister? They will surely kill you if they find out from someone else that you met someone, from your description, is a lot like the devil!" Alton felt panic is his chest. He couldn't lose another family member so quickly. He cared too much, and he _hated it._

"He is trying to help us, brother! Don't you see? We were not meant to be human in the first place! Listen, I had been thinking about this for the past few days and I want to share it with you now while you're still accepting my words," he saw his twin take a deep breath and he felt uncertainty creep inside him again. What else had that monster put into his twin's head? Exhaling, she began.

"When you were out with father on guard duty that- night, I was laying on my bed with nothing else to do but think. I was thinking about how horrible our life is here and I made a plan to leave. We could get out of this horrible place and find somewhere new, somewhere we don't have to live in fear. I've heard of castles over the huge bodies of water that surround us! We could go there, Alton, we could finally be _happy,_ " she took a deep breath, a wistful look in her eyes. Alton frowned. It was a tempting idea but, how would they find their way to these castles she talked about? How would she and him be able to carry it out?

"Is that really what you want, sister? To leave? How would we even do it? What if when we're running away the village decides to follow us, and kill us? They will be asking everyone they meet where to find us," Alton asked, trying not to sound so fearful. This was a dangerous task and he was unsure if he would be able to do it. What would their mother do if she found them? They would surely be beaten and possibly killed. All because they were _witches_ and they didn't want to them to escape the hell they had made for them.

"But they would be looking for Juliana and Alton, wouldn't they?" Juliana had a calculating look on her delicate features, "they will be looking for the witch twins, the demonic children Satan himself once visited," Juliana thought of the man in the black cloak, and the stranger she had just spoken to, "I'll cut my hair or change my clothes. We'll have different names. We _can_ escape this inferno, brother!"

She looked so hopeful, and Alton couldn't bring himself to say no. He didn't want to leave, not yet, but if things were escalating like they have been, it might be his only choice. He had never felt peace, and he had a feeling he never will.

It was almost dusk by the time the twins were walking towards their home. It had been tense, and the air electric between them after the offer Juliana had put on the table. It was exciting to think about it, in a terrifying way that left Alton with his stomach in knots. They arrived at their hut to see their mother sitting at the low table, her hands red as she skinned the meat from one of the cattle. There was a fire in the small indent in the ground as well. It seemed their mother had finally come out of her stupor.

"Would you like some help, mother? We have finished our work in the field and we can assist you," Alton smiled faintly at his mother as he held a hand out to help. His mother snapped her head up, startled as if she had never seen him in her life.

"I can do it myself, thank you. Just because I lost my husband to a beating, does not mean I cannot fend for myself," her tone was sharp, and Alton recognized it as a sign to leave her alone. Working quietly on the glowing embers in their makeshift hearth, everything was quiet in the room.

"Did you get anything done today, mother?" Juliana piped up. She wouldn't normally say something as such to her mother, but after her comatose performance over the past three days Alton knew that Juliana needed to use her edge to get their mother working again. Her mother scowled at the girl.

"Watch your mouth right now and you will be punished for using such a tone with me," she growled before inspecting the steak for any parts she had missed. Over her shoulder, Alton could see his sister scowling.

"Where's the rope I gave you?" Juliana asked, not listening to her mother's threat.

"You didn't do a good job on the first half so I threw it out, let the birds get it," her mother said after a moment's hesitation. She looked at the meat with more intensity. Alton could tell she was hiding something. But what would she want with the rope? To tie her children up so they wouldn't be a bother? Juliana could tell something was up as well, and Alton shook his head slightly to warn her off from pushing their mother much farther.

"Did you do anything productive today in the fields, Alton?" His mother asked with mock innocence. Alton bit down on his cheek to keep from saying something rude. Taking a deep breath he nodded.

"All the crops are well and cared for. They should be ready for _Mabon_ as they were planned," Alton replied to his mother without looking up from the fire. She was using the tone that she knew hurt him. She knew that disapproval from his parents affected him much more than it affected his sister.

"They better grow. If I hear that you two did something to those crops I will make sure you two never leave this home again," her mother stated in a vicious voice before returning to preparing the meal. Alton bit back the cutting words he wanted to use, his eyes felt watery. She was so critical, so hurtful. He didn't want to see her anymore. She was evil.

"I'm going to fill the beds, then," Alton replied stiffly before collecting some of the straw in the corner and beginning to stuff the mattresses with it. As he was working, he felt himself nudge an object underneath his feet. Looking under his mother's bed, he recognized the shape of rope. Alton tried not to show any sign of seeing it as he recognized the knot of a hangman's noose on the ends of it.

 **...**

Dinner was horrible for the twins. It was the first time their family had eaten together since the passing of their father, and it was silent. Their mother fixed them with cold stares making the silence even more eerie for Juliana. She looked over to see her brother looking very pale, as he had been since finishing the beds. She wanted to ask him if he was alright, as she could see that their mother's words hurt him, but she knew better than to make the night worse. They _were_ sleeping in the same room as mother.

It was still silent as they stacked the wooden plates on top on one another and made their way to bed, as it was long past sunset. Laying down on the straw, Juliana looked up through the small holes in their roof to see the gray sky, which was the only thing she ever seemed to notice now. Later, she finally heard the steady breathing of her sleeping mother and turned in her bed to face her twin.

"I've figured it out," she whispered to him. He lifted his head slightly.

"Figured out what?"

"My name."

Alton looked at her with a questioning look. She was very serious about this idea to leave. Sighing, he asked, "what is it?"

"Jane."

 **I apologize about reuploading all of the chapters but the formatting was very messed up and I needed to fix it. Thank you so much for reading and please take your time to write a review!**


End file.
